Crypt

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Pope John Paul II on Friday began a five-day visit to Hungary by praying at the crypt of the militantly anti-communist Cardinal Josef Mindszenty. The pope said Mindszenty, who died in 1975, "left behind a shining testimony of devotion to Christ and the church, as well as of patriotism." "We will always remember his name with a blessing," he told thousands of worshipers gathered before the cathedral where the cardinal's remains are interred. Mindszenty's conflict with the Hungarian authorities was one of the most dramatic episodes in postwar European history.

An 18-year-old man was arrested and charged Thursday with vandalizing several crypts in the last week, including that of former Mayor Anton Cermak, at the Bohemian National Cemetery, 5255 N. Pulaski Rd. The man and a juvenile broke through the doors of the Cermak crypt, but they did no damage inside, said Tactical Officer Lawrence King of the Albany Park District. Mark Moeller, 18, a homeless person from the Northwest Side, was charged with two counts of burglary and one count of institutional vandalism.

Tired of derivative grunge rockers moaning about how miserable life can be? Wearied by ironic indie rock bands who act like being on stage is more of a joke than a thrill? The cure may be a San Diego punk/R&B sextet known as Rocket From The Crypt. The band's set at Metro Saturday night was an exuberant affirmation that fun is not a four-letter word, enthusiasm not uncool and entertainment is as much a part of rock 'n' roll as Fender Strats. Sporting greaser coifs and leopard-skin-patterned bowling shirts, RFTC hit the stage looking like Sha Na Na on crack as it began slashing through a rapid-fire three-song intro of "I Know," "Panic Scam" and "Made for You."

There was nothing grave about the Elgin Area Historical Society's 4th annual cemetery walk through Bluff City Cemetery. In fact the crowd was quite lively as society members and area actors, dressed in 19th-Century costumes, portrayed citizens from Elgin's past and told their stories at selected grave sites. "Find your own adventure and live life to the fullest!" advised Alyce "Byrdie" Potter (1875-1955) as she climbed into her 1909 Haynes automobile. In 1908 Potter was the first woman to drive from Chicago to New York.

Max Rosenberg, a veteran movie producer best-known for cult horror classics such as "Tales From the Crypt" and "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" as well as the early rock 'n' roll movies "Jamboree" and "Rock, Rock, Rock!" died Monday. He was 89. Mr. Rosenberg, president of Rearguard Productions, died in a Los Angeles hospital after a brief illness, said Julie Moldo, the film company's vice president. In a more than 60-year movie career that began as a distributor of foreign films in New York, he produced about 75 movies, the majority of them modestly budgeted horror, supernatural and science fiction tales.

Until recently, most archeologists would have scoffed at the idea that a huge royal tomb had yet to be discovered in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. The valley is where Egypt's great kings, including Ramses II and Tut, were buried thousands of years ago in the age of the pharaohs. In recent history, robbers looted all of the valley's royal crypts, and archeologists dug them up, in search of treasures. All except one. Archeologist Kent Weeks believed for years that there was still an untouched, mystery tomb - and that he knew where it was. Weeks, who teaches at the American University in Cairo, devised a "treasure map," based on the location of other tombs, to help him find the hidden tomb.

What better person to dig up for Halloween than the Crypt Keeper? We had a not-so-grave conversation with the star of HBO's gross-out festival "Tales From the Crypt," and the Saturday morning cartoon "Tales From the Crypt Keeper" recently. Here's the dirt on what he said: KidNews: How old are you? Crypt Keeper: "That's not very polite. Let's just say I look good for my age." KN: You can say that, if you want. Are you alive? CK: "Not on your life!! Heheehehehee!"

In a solemn yet joyous celebration of the life of Cardinal John O'Connor, an estimated 3,500 people gathered inside St. Patrick's Cathedral while hundreds more stood outside in the sweltering heat to bid farewell to the nation's most influential Roman Catholic prelate and leader of its third-largest archdiocese. "God gifted him with a keen and subtle intellect, an uncommon rhetorical skill, a knack for the dramatic gesture, a sharp wit, and an outrageous sense of humor, all of which he used in the service of preaching," said Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, who delivered the homily.